The Young Chronicle: For 4th Graders November 29th, 2015 | Page 3

What is ISIS? A lot of people will tell you that bad people were involved in the Paris attacks. These people were not born bad, they were probably brain washed or had experienced something bad themselves. What could be the reason? While many reasons could have caused outfits like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) to be born, some of the most important ones are extremely political in nature. It was in 2003, when the USA decided to invade Iraq (Gulf War 2), under the pretext that Iraq owned weapons of mass destruction or chemical warfare. They caused havoc in the country, found Saddam Hussein, the then President of Iraq (who was hiding in a hole) and subsequently executed him. However, the weapons of mass destruction were never found. Iraq was then left without a leader and there was emanant chaos. Elections were held under US supervision and a Shiite Prime Minister Jawad al-Maliki came to power. Shiite Muslims comprise of 60% of Iraq, however the Sunni Muslims (a minority in Iraq) had dominated the Shiites under Saddam Hussein. With the new Prime Minister, the Shiites got more prominence and made the Sunnis nervous. This chaos led to there being a political vaccum being filled by external parties funded indirectly and knowingly/unknowingly by first world countries like the USA. How? Well, the USA also helped the Libyan rebels fight against the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011. They provided ammunition to the rebels. Many of these rebels were part of the Al Qaeda and used the same after the civil war ended. It’s often said, little monsters are often important to keep the bigger monsters at bay, may be Gaddafi and Saddam were the little ones that did not support the USA, unlike Saudi Arabia, which is why they faced the wrath of the big superpower. Saudi Arabia and USA on the contrary have had strategic relationships with each other as Saudi Arabia is rich in oil. The other middle eastern states are also rich in oil and hence they are of strategic interest to USA. While planning and plotting, USA probably did not realize that they were feeding fundamentalists like Al Qaeda or ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) who would eventually rise and grow enough to cause havoc across the world and in turn also harm all the so called developed countries. It’s sad that politics has eventually led to so many innocents being massacred. P.S: What we have offered here is just another perspective that not many news channels may give. The idea here is to make you think a little more and not judge a situation with what meets the eye. What’s happening is bad, but one has to have enough perspective to build a balanced view and help solve any problem. Should you have any queries, or want to know more, please write to us at [email protected] Here’s another video you may want to watch to get to know more about ISIS. Some links to look up: Wikipedia, WhattoKnow.info.